Love is Madness
by emze622
Summary: A slight AU, in which Thorin has a wife who stays behind at Laketown and is in the literal line of fire when Smaug comes to seek vengeance. Lessons in bravery, courage, and love are learned by all parties involved.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**SOOO, this is the first time I have ever done this. Ever. The last time I ever wrote a story of some kind was when I was in middle school for creative writing. And that was a long time ago. That being said, be kind in your review as this is not something that I do often.**

**A little background information: this is a _slightly _AU story in which Thorin has a wife. While reading this, have in mind that this wife of his traveled with him and the company on the quest up until this point. In my mind, I have always pictured my OC to be half-dwarf/half-human, with no facial hair (I just can't get used to female facial hair no matter how hard I try). This will be a short story, with very few chapters. That being said, here goes nothing.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for my OC.**

"What have we done?" Bilbo exclaimed as the dragon flew away to seek vengeance.

This outcry was heard upon deaf ears, as Thorin found himself gravitating towards the liquid gold that remained from the ploy to defeat the fire-breathing dragon. A fog began to slowly cloud King Under the Mountain, but he shook his head to clear it.

"I am not my grandfather," he reminded himself, and quickly moved to rejoice with the other dwarves over their successful quest.

At the same time, the dragon, enveloped with rage and blind with madness, began to soar towards the tiny town on a lake. He saw movement, as people began to scurry when they saw what was in the sky. Their lives meant nothing to the dragon, and he craved the destruction of what was to come. His belly grew warm with fire, and he opened his mouth to unleash the flames that would destroy them all.

The chilly little town suddenly became ablaze, and screams echoed in the night. Bard the Bowman would not stand for his people to succumb to the wrath of the dragon, and he knew what to do. He ran to his hut and found his children running out with the dwarves he should have left to fend for themselves, although he suddenly found himself grateful for their presence. He came upon the female dwarrowdame, whom he had learned was the wife of the one they call Oakenshield. Apparently, she had been left behind by her husband in an attempt to be kept safe from the dragon, but it was to no avail. The brother dwarves had been left with the Queen, and another dwarf had stayed behind due to his own foolishness.

"I have a plan," the dwarven queen said to him.

"What makes you think that I would want any help from a dwarf?" The Bowman replied.

"Well, considering your town is on fire and your children's lives are in danger, I would think it wouldn't matter who you got help from."

Bard could not argue with that logic, and the queen revealed her plan to him.

"I am going to jump up on the dragon and pierce his eye on the side where the scale is missing. Once he is blinded, you take the shot."

After seeing the look on the baffled bowman's face, she added, "Trust me on this. I know how to climb better than anyone I know."

Bard simply shook his shoulders in bewilderment, and went into the hut to find the arrow that would end the wrath of Smaug for good.

"Go somewhere where I will be able to easily see you, preferably some place high up. You scared?" The queen added with a glint in her eye and a smirk on her mouth.

Not willing to admit his shock or his fear, Bard threw the bow over his shoulder and took one last look at his home,"Let's get this over with."

The brave dwarrowdam found her youngest nephew by marriage and told him of her plan. Noting the unease in his eyes, despite trying to keep a brave face, she knew what she had to do. This young dwarf would learn a valuable lesson in leadership today.

"Kili, there is a chance I may not survive this," she explained. "When this is over, and I do not return, I want you to give this to Thorin. He will understand."

In Kili's hand, she placed a ruby jewel that was attached to a long gold chain.

She gave the young dwarf one last look, and stepped off into her fate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_In those days, it was hard to find work. A prince should not have to scour the whole of Middle Earth to get a decent pay. But this was his life now that his home was taken from him. It had been many years since the Firedrake from the North had come to lay claim to the piles of gold beneath the mountain, and dwarves were a nomadic people now._

_One day, while Thorin was out looking for work, he came upon a pond to rest. There was a small village ahead, and Thorin had planned on arriving there shortly. While walking to the water, he heard a rustle amongst the leaves. There were tall, bushy trees surrounding the pond, and while the prince stood on guard for a moment, he reasoned that the wind could have made the noise in the leaves. What he did not expect to hear next was a small, feminine exclamation of, "ow!"  
><em>_Thorin came closer, shoulders tensed, to inspect the source of the ruckus._

_An heir to the throne, and a powerful warrior trained to fight and defend would not be so easily startled, but the prince found himself jumping back in surprise as a mess of curly dark hair threw itself out of the tree and onto the ground, directly in front of Thorin. The mass of hair was pushed back by an arm, only to reveal the face of a young maiden, with a toothy grin that the prince could have sworn made his heart clench at the sight._

_"Sorry about that! Didn't see you there!" Said the toothy, curly-haired ball of fire. Upon closer inspection, Thorin found this young maiden to be quite...appealing. Her features, though prominent, were not in the least unattractive, and the dwarf found himself wanting to come closer to her, as though he was drawn to her energy. But Thorin is nothing, if not disciplined, and he withheld his urges, and quickly resumed the nature of a knightly prince._

_"It is nothing. What were you doing in that tree?" He asked, and looked up towards the sky and noticed that the tree was enormous, and had branches sprouting every which way.  
>"This woman climbed this tree?" He thought to himself.<em>

_"I was just relaxing. Sometimes, during the day, I like to come out to this pond and climb as high as I can to the top of this tree. It makes me like I can rule the earth." The young maiden said enthusiastically, showing off that toothy smile that made Thorin's heart do strange things in his chest._

_"Well, you should be more careful," he said. "You could get hurt climbing those trees."_

_"Yes sir," she said, while mocking the deep voice of the prince and continuing to smile._

_"You smile too much," Thorin said, trying to ignore the ache in his chest._

_"And you're too serious," she said. "Lighten up, pal. It's not THAT bad." It wasn't until she said this that she got a good look at the person standing in front of her. Slowly, her smile began to fade, and then burst right back when she realized that he wasn't from the Race of Men at all, but a dwarf._

_"Are you a dwarf? I've never met a dwarf before! Well, I have but he's my dad, so he doesn't count," she said, much too fast that Thorin barely understood what she said._

_"Your father is a dwarf?" Thorin asked. She didn't look like a dwarf. If she was a dwarf, where was her beard?_

_"That's correct! My father is a dwarf, but my mother is of the Race of Men," she replied, "Or at least, she was. She passed away when I was born."_

_That explains why she didn't have a beard, Thorin thought. As he inspected the young maiden more closely, he noticed that her build was a little more robust than that of an average woman of man. Thorin felt heat rising to his face and decided that he was wasting time, and needed to get back to the task at hand._

_"I need to leave now. I have work that needs to be completed," he explained as he started to walk away. But, like a stray puppy, the maiden followed behind._

_"What kind of work?"_

_"I'm actually looking for work in order to provide for my people."_

_The maiden stopped, and sudden realization dawned upon her as the phrase "my people" echoed in her mind. Her father had told her the tales of the dragon, and of the line of Durin. Her instincts were normally spot-on, and her instincts were telling her who this dwarf might be._

_"I can get you work," she said._

_Thorin froze in place. "And exactly where is that?"_

_"My father is a blacksmith, but his health is failing and needs help. I can take you to him."_

_"Well, then lead the way."_

_"I'm doing you a favor, it's only fair that do a favor for me in return."_

_Thorin sighed, but he needed the work. "And what would that be?"_

_The young maiden smiled. Thorin's heart felt light as air._

_"I want you to teach me how to fight."_

_Thorin opened his mouth to argue, but realized it would be fruitless. "Ok. You have a deal." He held out his hand for her to shake, and when she put her hand in his, it was like she infused him with her light._

_As they began to walk back to the village, Thorin realized that they had left out one important detail. "I suppose I should tell you my name. I am Thorin."_

_"Yes, I know."_

_Thorin blanched, and held back from asking her how she knew. "Are you going to tell me your name?"_

_The curly-haired, toothy maiden looked back at him and smiled as she led the way to the village._

**A/N: First of all, I apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors. I'm uploading this from my phone. Also, I made the creative decision to not reveal the female OC's name. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Thorin could feel himself drifting away. Each time he would try and reach back inside himself, he would go further into his madness. Thorin had once told Balin, "I am not my grandfather." Although, he wasn't really sure he had said it to reassure his old friend, or himself.

"I am not my grandfather," Thorin said, this time aloud. When he said the words, he pictured his wife and queen, instead of his bearded old friend. She had a tendency to bring him back from the depths of his own hell, and it only took her soothing words and her gentle hand on his shoulder to return back to reality. He thought of her now, and what she was doing back at the small, frigid town. Was she safe? Was she laughing and joking around with Fili and Kili? Or, was she looking toward the mountain, and thinking of him as well? Whatever it was that she was doing, he had hoped that the dragon had saved his wrath for another town. If not, he was confident that she was protecting herself, with the help of his nephews. He hoped.

He hoped.

The Queen got her supplies ready. Earlier, when the bargeman wasn't looking, she secured a long rope and what looked like a grappling hook, one that she assumed he had used for fishing. She looked at the ruby jewel around her neck, and had a gut feeling that she may not return from the back of the dragon. When she placed the necklace in the hand of her youngest nephew, she knew that it was a moment that would change the young dwarf. No longer young and naïve, but mature and brave. She held on to the look in his eyes for as long as she could, before scurrying off to aid the man called Bard, and hopefully slay a dragon.

She climbed to the tallest hut she could find, and quickly tied together the long rope to the grappling hook. She took a deep breath, and waited for Smaug. She was best climber in the village where she had grown up, and was as stealthy as an elf. This was unlike anything she had ever done before, however, and she had accomplished wonders in her relatively short lifespan. She thought back to her husband, and what he was doing. Was he rejoicing with the other dwarves upon the reclamation of their homeland? Was he venturing back into pit of gold, letting the madness settle within? Or, was he thinking of her, hoping that her face would keep him from plunging into darkness? They had depended upon each other in dark times. When her father died, Thorin had been her rock and let her go through the emotions while he stood by her side, quiet and steadfast. He would watch her as she screamed towards the heavens, cursing and praying that she could join her father. He would hold her as she cried, he tears soaking his tunic. Thorin was a man few words, and in her grief, his presence was all that she needed. This was how their relationship went about, and it worked for them. When she had first met her future husband, the maiden was young and careless with her words. As she grew and began to experience more of the world, she realized that she had found a kindred spirit in the prince, and understood why he withdrew his emotions the way that he did. That is not to say she was completely made of stone; she simply learned to live her life with a more subtle appreciation.

As much as she would have liked to continue to think of her dear husband, she had to focus on what lay in front of her. It's not every day that one climbs on the back of a fire-breathing dragon. She tied the rope around her waist, readied her hook and began to spin it above her head like a lasso. The dragon swooped down, his neck red with the fire that was about to come. She bent her knees, and with all the strength she could find within herself, she leapt. When her feet left the roof, it was as if time had slowed down, and she was on the outside, watching as she flew through the air. For a moment, she was flying, soaring above the sleepy little town, and the next, she had landed the course scales of the dragon's tail. She had barely made it, but it didn't matter; she landed. She puled herself up on the tall scales that lined the dragon's back, and threw the grappling hook with all the strength she could muster. She would be sore tomorrow, she thought to herself. The hook landed near Smaug's neck, and she heard him roar with anger. Fire spewed from his mouth, and she watched as huts were destroyed. She prayed that whatever lives were inside, had found themselves to safety before everything went ablaze. Smaug began to fly erratically, as if to throw her off of him. She held on tight, and knew she had to move before it was too late. She pulled out one of the two small knives that she kept in her boots at all times, praising Mahal that the elves didn't bother to search her boots.

It was time to climb.

**If anyone would be willing to beta this story, or has any tips on how to improve the story, please PM me. I'm open to criticism, but only if it is constructive. Again, this is the first time I have ever done this, so I'm rusty. **


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